She Doesn't Think Things Through

Evalin's sudden change caught me off guard.

Just moments ago, while we'd been facing off in earnest, there had even been a sense that she wasn't taking us seriously, yet now she was directing intense anger at us.

And that wasn't all.

An extraordinary amount of magical power was radiating from Evalin's body.

It was palpable even to ordinary people, and the air felt heavy.

Azu and the others could sense it even more clearly.

Azu and Alexia's expressions were stern.

Orleans was frightened and clutching at my clothes beside me.

Only Elza appeared calm.

I couldn't see Finn anywhere. Where had she…?

Finn was right behind Evalin.

Having silently gotten behind her, she held a crystal dagger in her right hand.

It seemed she had judged the earlier event as a hostile act.

Just as the dagger was about to touch Evalin's neck, Evalin's figure vanished and the blade cut through empty air.

"Tch."

Finn clicked her tongue.

She quickly ran back to our side.

Evalin had teleported to in front of the fireplace.

As long as she had teleportation, getting behind her was meaningless.

"She's not the kind of person you can negotiate with! She's a monster who could wipe us out along with this entire area the moment she gets serious!"

"Calm down. It's not decided that we're fighting yet."

I calmed Finn down.

I understood how she felt, but that was a bad move.

There was a clatter.

The wooden puppet was moving.

A massive arm made from a tree trunk was about to swing down at us.

Alexia and Azu readied their weapons, but Elza alone stepped forward.

"Hey."

Alexia called out, but Elza ignored her.

"If you're going to talk about humans betraying elves, shouldn't we first discuss how elves abandoned the Ash Kingdom? Don't you think, Evalin?"

The wooden puppet's movement stopped abruptly.

The puppet's arm had come right up to Elza's face.

"How do you know about that? I thought there were no humans left who knew about the Ash Kingdom."

"Who knows, I wonder? For now, please put the puppet away and dispel that annoying magical pressure. Otherwise, my mouth might start chattering about old stories."

"… Fine."

Evalin readily complied with Elza's words and withdrew her anger.

The wooden puppet automatically moved back to its original position and became a decoration once more.

"What was that all about?"

"There was a lot going on in the past. Confusion and mistakes during the long wars and such."

Elza replied to Alexia's question.

Evalin interjected, looking displeased.

"That was the right decision."

"And as a result, elves are now on the verge of extinction, aren't they? Because of your overflowing magic and long lifespan, and your biased knowledge, you don't think deeply. Isn't the current situation the same?"

"… You speak as if you know elves well. As if you've witnessed it yourself."

Evalin directed a suspicious gaze at Elza.

"I have seen it firsthand. I was a little surprised that there was still an elf living so close to human settlements."

"That's…"

"You really want to get along with humans but don't know how. Is that it?"

"That's not it. It's just that a troublesome monster appeared near where I live and it's a nuisance."

"Let's go with that."

The atmosphere changed after Elza spoke just a little.

The situation had been on the verge of erupting into a fight, yet now it was settling back toward discussion.

The Ash Kingdom… that would be the country once on this continent ruled by the Ash King, whom Azu and Elza had encountered in the Catacombs.

It had been destroyed by the Church of the Sun God and erased from history, with only the castle that had become a dungeon remaining now.

This seemed to be something elves didn't want discussed, as Evalin's attitude softened.

I wanted to hear more details, but I got the feeling Evalin wouldn't allow it, so I set it aside for now.

It appeared to be a dishonorable tale for elves.

"Now then, shall we have a constructive discussion?"

Elza clapped her hands with a smile.

Since Evalin seemed willing to listen to what Elza had to say, I left it to her.

"We haven't actually seen the monster that appeared. There was something that looked like it, but Finn-chan only saw it from a distance. So please show us this monster first. That mine is a place many people need for heating fuel to get through the winter. Unless it poses a proportionate danger, we simply cannot accept its blockade."

"I see. You can say that because you haven't seen it directly. A Monster Pit would be one thing, but this isn't the kind of monster that should appear through natural occurrence."

"Then please guide us. If you're containing it with a barrier, you must know where it is, right?"

"Follow me."

Though Evalin looked annoyed at Elza's words, she headed outside.

We chased after her and exited the cottage.

It was already pitch dark outside.

I was about to say it was too dangerous now, but Evalin was just standing there.

"What do I do. It's night."

"… Yes, it is night. Did you not notice?"

Come to think of it, the cottage had no windows, so you couldn't see outside.

That would make it impossible to tell the time.

I'd heard they weren't particular about time, but could it be she didn't even know whether it was morning or night?

"I hate night."

With just those words, she went back into the cottage.

Naturally, everyone was left dumbfounded.

It was a different kind of free-spiritedness from Princess Yupe, or rather, a complete disregard for our circumstances.

"Um, what? Is she picking a fight after all?"

"… She didn't mean any harm just now. Elves are just like that. They don't consider others' circumstances, and despite their rational appearance, they don't think things through."

"I think I now understand a little why humans and elves ultimately parted ways."

When we went back inside the cottage, Evalin was already asleep.

Having no choice, we borrowed a corner and settled down for the night using sleeping bags and blankets.